Fabric-covered button



May 11, 1965 S. L. LERMA FABRIC-COVERED BUTTON Filed Oct. 2, 1965 United States Patent 3,182,369 7 FABRIC-COVERED BUTTON Stephen L. Lerma, Flushing, N.Y., assignor to C 8: C

Button 8: Trimming ('10., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York 7 Filed Oct. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 313,316 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-92) This invention relates to an improved form of a garment button of the type having a firm base with a cloth covering, which is attachable to the garment by a tab clamped into the button and extending out of the back. Such buttons are well known, but difiiculty has been experienced in that the ordinary use of the button frequently causes the tab to pull out, allowing the body of the button to fall off. When this happens, it is often hard to replace and may be necessary for the wearer of the garment to have to change the whole set of buttons to match.

In accordance with this invention the button is so constructed that the attaching tab is firmly fastened into the button base, and cannot reasonably be pulled off.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a view of a completed button in perspective; FIG. 2 is a disassembled view of the parts from which the button is formed; FIG. 3 is a view of the button from the back, the parts being broken away; FIG. 4 is a central section through the completed button on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 shows a modification form of the device.

Referring now to the drawings, see FIG. 4, the numeral represents a cup-shaped metal base or frame having the shape of the outer portion of the button desired, and having its peripheral edges, or rim 11 bent downwardly and inwardly, as shown, toward the bottom of the button.

The base 10 and the rim 11 are covered with any desired plastic or fabric sheet 9. This fabric has its edge bent down around and under the rim 11 and up into the interior thereof, as shown at 12 (see FIG. 4). To hold the parts assembled there is fitted within the interior of the rim 11, pressing radically against the rim and the sheet therein, a back member 13 having a central opening and around its periphery an upwardly extending flange 14, positioned to press against the inwardly and upwardly folded edges of the sheet 9 at 12, to press that edge against the interior of the rim 11.

The back member 13 has a central opening 15 the edges of which are serrated to provide teeth 16, which teeth are bent and extend upwardly through the sheet of a material 17, as will be described.

The attaching material 17, which may be of canvas or the like, is clamped between the inner face of the back member 13 and the inner plate 18, and has its central portion extending out through the opening 15 in the back member 13 to provide a tab 17a by which the button may be attached to a garment. The inner plate 18 preferably has at its outer edge an upturned flange 20 bearing against the upturned peripheral flange 14 of the back member 13. This plate 18 has a series of recesses 19 or perforations to receive the points of the material 17 which has been pushed upward by the teeth 16, to prevent the tab so formed from being pulled out.

In the form shown in FIG. 2 the plate 18 is provided with a series of upwardly extending indentations 19 positioned to register with the teeth 16 so that the material will be pressed down upon the teeth.

As an alternative the indentations may be replaced by holes in the inner plate 13 through which the material may be pressed by the teeth.

A third alternative construction is shown in FIG. 5 in which a circumferential groove 19' is pressed upwardly from the plate 13' into which all of the teeth may press the attaching tab.

These three embodiments express the same concept of concentrating the strain on the material when the tab is pulled on the points of the teeth, thereby restraining the attaching tab from being pulled off.

In all embodiments, as will be seen the construction is designed to concentrate the pull on the tab at the point of the teeth, thereby eliminating the tendency that it might otherwise have of permitting the tab to slip.

The characteristic advantage of this invention is that the button cannot pull off the garment by pulling out the tab.

What I claim:

A button comprising a face plate having a circumferential flange extending downwardly substantially at right angles to said plate, a fabric cover material stretched over the face of said face plate and flange and around and under the edge of said flange into the interior of said plate, a back piece in the form of a disc having a central opening and having upstanding inwardly directed points around said opening, said disc having a cylindrical flange around its periphery of a size and shape to fit tightly within the inturned portion of said cover material, an inner plate lying above the interior side of said back piece and of a size and shape to press the flange of said back piece tightly against the inturned edge of said cover material, and a piece of flexible button-attaching material clamped between said disc and said inner plate, said inner plate having recesses in alignment with the points upon said disc whereby said attaching material is pressed against said points and the pressure exerted by said inner plate urges the flange of said disc against the flange of said back piece.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 174,161 2/76 Smith 24-92 1,440,771 1/23 Devendor et al 24-92 DONLEY .I. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

